. Glimpses of medical Europe. aps worth thetrouble and discomfort of the days spentunder the shadow of the Czar. We tookpassage in a dinky little boat, not so large asmany of the Mississippi River boats, for ourtrip across the Baltic. There were quite anumber of passengers on board, and we feltthat if we w^ere foolish in going to Russia (aseverybody in Stockholm told us we were) wehad lots of company. Imagine our feelings,then, when on getting to Helsingfors, every-body save ourselves left the boat. We werethe only passengers for St. Petersburg. But,as I said, the sail is beautiful. First thep
. Glimpses of medical Europe. aps worth thetrouble and discomfort of the days spentunder the shadow of the Czar. We tookpassage in a dinky little boat, not so large asmany of the Mississippi River boats, for ourtrip across the Baltic. There were quite anumber of passengers on board, and we feltthat if we w^ere foolish in going to Russia (aseverybody in Stockholm told us we were) wehad lots of company. Imagine our feelings,then, when on getting to Helsingfors, every-body save ourselves left the boat. We werethe only passengers for St. Petersburg. But,as I said, the sail is beautiful. First thepicturesque coast of Sweden; then all daylong through the thousands of islands that 59 MEDICAL EUROPE dot the Baltic and are a part of Finland;and, finally, the magnificent and imposingapproach to the heart of St. Petersburg itself,past the frowning forts of Kronstadt and thebig Russian battleships. It was surprisingly hot for May, and wesweltered on the deck while at least two dozenuniformed and bemedalled ofiicials examined,. Russian Droschke signed, sealed, and countersigned our pass-ports, and finally allowed us to leave the boatand be driven to a hotel. The Russian droschke (cab) is much smallerthan its name (Isivoschtschik) would imply,and the horses are smaller still, but tougherthan wire nails—and they go at a great drivers, however, make up in size forthe smallness of the rest of the outfit, and in CO ST. PETERSBURG their padded kimonos with a rear ])readth ofsomething hke two metres somewhat obscurethe view ahead. St. Petersburg itself is a city worth Nevskoi Prospekt is a wonderful know of no other with which it may becompared. There are beautiful buildingsalong the Neva. The city is crowded withsplendid churches and immense palaces; andin the Hermitage is one of the finest col-lections of paintings in the world. Thereare fine parks and theatres and comfortablehotels in abundance. But despite it all thereis an odd feeling of oppression
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